As the sun set, the temperature inside the villa gradually decreased, even dropping below the temperature outside.
Bai Hao put the newspaper away, while Yang Zizhong, Dayong, and Uncle Fu stood by.
"Mr. Yang, you..." Bai Hao hadn't finished speaking when suddenly all the lights in the villa started flashing.
"Here I am, Mr. Bai!" Yang Zizhong broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
Bai Hao smiled slightly, "Uncle Fu, it looks like the electrical contact is bad. Why don't you go and take a look at the circuit?"
"Okay!" Uncle Fu replied after a moment's hesitation, and then went to check the electrical circuit at the villa's electrical box.
Bai Hao glanced at Uncle Fu's departing figure, then reached for an orange on the table and slowly began to eat it.
Seeing Bai Hao's demeanor, Yang Zizhong felt much more at ease. He had never seen such a calm and composed master before. He must be very confident to be so composed. This time, he was sure he could completely deal with that woman!
After Bai Hao finished eating half of the orange, the lights returned to normal. Yang Zizhong and Dayong silently breathed a sigh of relief. Although Dayong hadn't seen what Yang Zizhong was talking about, anyone would be nervous in this atmosphere, given what was going on.
The night was quiet, the moonlight outside the window was bright, but it had no warmth. The lamp illuminated the room.
"Mr. Bai is right, the circuit contact wire really is loose." Uncle Fu walked over, wiping his hands with a towel.
"Ah!!!" Yang Zizhong suddenly jumped up as he saw Uncle Fu walking over, his finger trembling as he pointed at Uncle Fu.
Da Yong was startled and looked in the direction Yang Zizhong was pointing. He saw Uncle Fu looking completely bewildered, but there was nothing else.
Bai Hao glanced at Uncle Fu, then shook his head at Yang Zizhong, who was looking at him, indicating that there was nothing wrong.
"It's right there! It's right there..." Yang Zizhong excitedly pointed behind Uncle Fu, but when he looked again, there was nothing there, only Uncle Fu standing there.
"How could that be? I clearly saw..." Yang Zizhong muttered to himself.
Bai Hao: "Mr. Yang, please don't be nervous. Too much psychological pressure can easily lead to illusions..."
Before Bai Hao could finish speaking, the sound of a porcelain vase shattering came from upstairs. Yang Zizhong was so frightened that he fell onto the sofa, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Dayong and Uncle Fu also looked slightly nervous, and unconsciously looked up at the dark second floor above the stairs.
After Bai Hao finished eating the orange, he stood up and was about to go upstairs when Yang Zizhong grabbed his arm.
Yang Zizhong: "Bai, Boss Bai?"
"I'll go check on them. You all stay here; they'll stay with you. Don't be afraid." Bai Hao gently brushed Yang Zizhong's hand away and leisurely went upstairs.
Yang Zizhong, his face pale, shrank back onto the sofa. Dayong and Uncle Fu sat down beside him, signaling that Yang Zizhong not to be afraid.
Bai Hao went upstairs without turning on the lights. He didn't need them, nor was it necessary. Looking at the dark and silent corridor, Bai Hao stood by the second-floor railing and looked down at the three people below.
"Ah!" The lights downstairs went out instantly, plunging the entire villa into darkness.
"Uncle Fu, Uncle Fu!" Yang Zizhong gripped Uncle Fu's arm tightly.
"Don't worry, sir, it's probably just a power outage," Uncle Fu said in a deep voice, trying to comfort him.
Dayong took a flashlight out of the coffee table drawer. This wasn't the first time the power had gone out, so he was prepared. Dayong turned on the flashlight and shone it upwards, making the living room slightly brighter.
Yang Zizhong clutched his chest and gasped for breath. He slowly raised his head, and a pale face appeared before him, with empty, blood-stained eyes, a forced smile, and wet hair plastered to his head.
"Ahhhhh!!!" Yang Zizhong turned and ran, tumbling and crawling, but tripped over a sofa cushion, fell headfirst into the cabinet, and bled profusely.
"Mr. Yang!"
"boss!"
Dayong and Uncle Fu were startled. They saw everything, including Yang Zizhong staring at Uncle Fu with wide eyes as if he had gone mad, before falling out in terror. The two of them immediately went to help him up.
Bai Hao leaned against the stair railing, observing coldly.
Yang Zizhong was helped to sit on the sofa by the two men. Uncle Fu took out the first-aid kit in the dark and gave Yang Zizhong a simple bandage.
Yang Zizhong's pupils were somewhat unfocused, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably, whether from fear, the intense pain of his wounds, or both, it was unclear.
After bandaging his wound, Yang Zizhong looked at the two men in horror. Only after confirming that they were Uncle Fu and Dayong did he calm down, his heart pounding slightly. However, as soon as he looked down, he discovered that the ground had been flooded with water, which was gradually rising above his heels and was still rising.
Yang Zizhong tried to lift his feet, but his legs felt as heavy as if they weighed a ton, and he couldn't move them an inch. He could only watch as the water slowly rose, covering his shoes and reaching his ankles. Yang Zizhong tried to shout, but he couldn't make a sound. His body suddenly froze, and he could only stare wide-eyed at the rising water.
As the water rose, its color grew darker and darker, turning reddish, and a foul stench emanated from it. Yang Zizhong seemed to feel something brushing against his legs underwater, like seaweed or perhaps—hair!
Yang Zizhong looked up at Uncle Fu and Dayong beside him. The two of them seemed oblivious, sitting quietly beside him with their heads down, their faces and expressions unreadable. Yang Zizhong felt his spine turn to ice.
The water finally reached his thighs. Yang Zizhong seemed to see a human face in the dark water. Uncle Fu and Dayong beside him suddenly turned their heads, but their bodies did not move at all. Their eyes were empty, their mouths were split open, and black water was flowing out of their mouths.
Yang Zizhong struggled frantically, but he couldn't move. He watched as the two men reached out and tried to push his head underwater. Yang Zizhong couldn't even open his mouth. His face was pale as he was being pressed down, about to be pushed into the water. He did see a face smiling at him from the water.
Just then, water flooded Yang Zizhong's pocket, and a white light flashed.
"Ahhh—"
An extremely piercing scream shattered his eardrums, and the black water instantly receded. Yang Zizhong felt that he could move again. When he came to his senses, Uncle Fu and Dayong were looking at him with worried expressions, still gently shaking him and calling to him.
Yang Zizhong's body went limp, and he collapsed onto the sofa, his eyes staring blankly ahead, his lips twitching slightly.
Uncle Fu and Dayong looked at each other in dismay. Just now, they saw Yang Zizhong suddenly freeze, his face looking particularly frightening, as if he had experienced something extremely terrifying. Then he suddenly lowered his head. Just as the two of them were about to reach out to stop him, Yang Zizhong seemed to wake up.
A gust of cold wind swept in. Bai Hao, who was on the second floor, didn't even turn his head. He slightly turned to the side and grabbed a cold, pale hand with his bare hands. The black fingernails on the hand were long and dripping blood. Bai Hao flung it backward. The cold wind blew into the corridor, and a flowerpot wobbled and fell to the ground, breaking.
"Bang--"
In the quiet atmosphere, the sounds from upstairs were particularly clear. Uncle Fu and Da Yong's hearts clenched, and they glanced towards the second floor, neither daring to make a sound.
Yang Zizhong, however, seemed to wake up suddenly. He reached into his pocket and found that the white chess pieces were gone, replaced by black ashes.
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